SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2005

years ago, Johnnie was going to open for Chuck Berry
at the Cubby Bear Lounge, a bar across from Wrigley
Field, and being a fan of the great Chess Record music
that included all of Chuck Berry's greatest hits, I
knew I had to be there, after all, Johnnie would be
re-united with his old St. Louis buddy (ya see,
Johnnie was in the band before Chuck even) and Chuck,
being the bitter ol' man that he is, refused to play
even a single tune with Johnnie, instead, as is his
custom, played with a bunch of strangers that he met a
half hour before the show, gave us 35 minute medley of
his hits and left. You could see the pain in
Johnnie's face. of course, Johnnie's set rocked
before Chuck hit the stage.

anyway, years later, Bob Weir had the good taste to
include Johnnie in his band. the night of Johnnie's
death, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Weir and his bandmates
wore black armbands and Weir knocked out an emotional
Brokedown Palace in memory of Johnnie, wiping tears
from his eyes after he finished.

-- Sgt O'Reilly


--Travis Patrick

for the rest of it go to:

JOHNNIE JOHNSON


THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005

R.I.P. GOLDIE RUSH

By Paul Liberatore, IJ senior feature writer

Goldie Carolyn Rush of Stinson Beach, a prominent member of the Grateful Dead family, died March 28 of cancer. She was 58.

A celebration of her life is planned for noon April 14, her birthday, at the Stinson Beach Community Center.

Ms. Rush was a personal manager for several members of the Grateful Dead, taking care of their business at home while they were on the road.

"She was like a trustee, a trustworthy person," said Carolyn Garcia, Jerry Garcia's former wife, a friend since the early 1970s. "She got called to the rescue in certain situations. She was like St. George, cutting through the dragons of bureaucracy on behalf of her clients."

Ms. Rush was a motivating force behind the Grateful Dead's concerts at the Great Pyramid in Egypt in 1978, and helped organize that landmark event in the band's history.

"She went on the first expedition to Egypt," Carolyn Garcia recalled. "She said, 'This is too precious. How do we get everybody here?'"

She also worked for Grateful Dead Records and Round Records, as well as the side bands of Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh.

"Goldie was a filler," said counterculture icon Wavy Gravy. "Wherever there was a hole, she filled it. But more than that, she was a good, solid friend. She'll be missed."

In February, she was honored as Queen of the Mardi Gras at a San Francisco tsunami benefit organized by the Unbroken Chain Foundation, the charitable organization founded by Lesh and his wife, Jill.

Ms. Rush was a volunteer for the Unbroken Chain Foundation, Bread and Roses, the Gyuto Monks, the Grateful Dead's Rex Foundation and the Stinson Beach Village Association, among other organizations.

She attended Tamalpais High School and was a lifelong resident of Marin County. She is survived by her son, Aaron Ali Rush of Stinson Beach and a brother, Pete McLaughlin of Pacifica.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Unbroken Chain Foundation, P.O. Box 10188, San Rafael 94912, or the Rex Foundation, P.O. Box 29608, San Francisco 94129-0608.
Comments?

Dead Egypt Stories : News Article Additions
http://deadegypt.org/


My pal Goldie Rush passed away from cancer just after Easter Sunday. She had been battling the disease for around 9 months and managed to put on some very fun parties and show everyone what a courageous class act she was. With humor and costumes, good tequila and a deep sense of fun, she endured her chemotherapy sessions and fought a very good fight.

She was diagnosed last summer with very advanced colon cancer, already spread around and causing trouble in her liver and lungs. She was down to about 110 pounds then and wasn't expected to live very long. The doctors offered her some new drug which miraculously worked well and kept her going for quite a while. She slowly wound up her affairs and put on a number of very fun parties, culminating in a Mardi Gras celebration where she wore an awesome costume and sat on top of the big fancy float as the Queen of Forgiveness. I enclose a photo of her with Wavy Gravy just after the parade.

That was just a few weeks ago. She was just shy of her 59th birthday.

She was also the best friend I ever had.
Last month she rode on a throne high above the parade at a Mardi Gras show in San Francisco, waving a magic key, the key representing Forgiveness. Queen of the Mardi Gras forever!
I'm going to miss her ongoing presence every day.

There is to be a parade, with marching bands and plenty of foolery, on April 14, her birthday, in Stinson Beach. To be followed by a gathering at the community center,

-- M.G.


RETURN TO FRONT PAGE